As the holiday season arrives, a little extra cash could go a long way. That cash could be waiting for you in the form of unclaimed property. More than $300 million for over 500,000 Oklahomans is in the state’s Unclaimed Property fund and can be easily found by visiting http://YourMoney.OK.gov.

In the past four years, Treasurer Meacham has returned almost $61 million in unclaimed property to more than 67,000 Oklahomans. Unclaimed property includes everything from jewelry, stock certificates, coin collections and cash. Searching for unclaimed property is a free service and is as easy as entering a valid last name and clicking a ‘Search Unclaimed Property’ button.

“The odds of an Oklahoman having unclaimed property are one-in-seven, much better odds than winning the lottery,” said State Treasurer Scott Meacham. “Besides, our service is always free. We never make you pay for getting what rightfully belongs to you.”

Property is considered unclaimed when there is a lack of activity generated by the rightful owner of the property. Evidence of this inactivity includes failure to cash a check, the return of a check or correspondence by the Post Office as undeliverable, or the absence of any communication from the owner. If property remains unclaimed for a certain number of years set by statute, it is considered abandoned and must be reported to the state's unclaimed property program.

The Oklahoma State Treasurer’s Unclaimed Property online service is a product of a partnership between the Oklahoma State Treasurer and OK.gov, Oklahoma’s Official Web site.

Ever wondered if the sales tax charged on your catalog purchase or utility bill is correct? The Oklahoma Tax Commission has an online tool for calculating Oklahoma sales and use taxes from any address or zip code in the State of Oklahoma.

“Most vendors are already aware of this system and are using it to assist in calculating sales taxes,” said Paula Ross, Oklahoma Tax Commission spokesperson. “However we want taxpayers to know this system is available for their use also in verifying the applicable sales taxes for their residence.”

The Sales and Use Tax Rate Locator System has been available on the Agency’s Web site for several years. There are two methods for researching a tax rate: by address or by zip code. To access the Locator System, visit the Oklahoma Tax Commission’s Web site at www.tax.ok.gov and select the system from the “Quick Click” menu.

If you are incorrectly charged and need substantiation of the rate, a printable version is available or you may print the screen. This verification may be submitted to your retailer as proof of the correct rate.

If you need assistance or have further questions, please email the Oklahoma Tax Commission at otcmaster@tax.ok.gov. You may also call the Agency’s Taxpayer Assistance Division at (405) 521-3160 or in-state toll free (800) 522-8165.

In the month of January, OK.gov will launch Oklahoma Widgets on the portal, http://www.ok.gov. Oklahoma Widgets quickly and easily provide real-time alerts, dynamic information and extra functionality. An Oklahoma Widget is a mini-web application that can be added to web pages, blogs or social profiles.

Visitors will be able to easily add an Oklahoma Widget to any Web site or social profile available by clicking on the associated "Get & Share" button, then following the prompted instructions.

Oklahoma Widgets available in January will include:

Oklahoma Government News Headlines

Oklahoma & National Threat Level Alerts

Photo Gallery

Shop DCS State Surplus Auction

Governor's Bill Tracker

Fast Find

Oklahoma Government Calendar

Oklahoma State Agency Search

Visit OK.gov in January to find the above widgets available to "Get and Share".

The U.S. Census counts every resident in the United States, and is required by the Constitution to take place every 10 years.

The 2010 Census will help communities receive more than $400 billion in federal funds each year for things like:

Hospitals

Job training centers

Schools

Senior centers

Bridges, tunnels and other-public works projects

Emergency services

The data collected by the census also help determine the number of seats your state has in the U.S. House of Representatives. In March of 2010, census forms will be delivered to every residence in the United States and Puerto Rico. When you receive yours, just answer the 10 short questions and then mail the form back in the postage-paid envelope provided. If you don't mail the form back, you may receive a visit from a census taker, who will ask you the questions from the form.

The majority of the country will receive English–only materials. Households in areas with high concentrations of Spanish-speaking residents may receive a bilingual (English/Spanish) form.

Oklahoma State Board of Medical Licensure and Supervision"We strive to be a valuable resource for Oklahomans on our Web site in finding a doctor that meets their healthcare needs with a 24/7 FREE “Living Directory” of every medical doctor in the state. Our employees are trained to be of service for any healthcare question the public may have. “Protecting the Public while Serving the Professional”"

- Lyle Kelsey,
Executive Director

State Anatomical Board"House Bill 476 created the State Anatomical Board (referred to as the Anatomical Law of 1935). The first bill to be enacted in cooperation with the University of Oklahoma School of Medicine provided the establishment of the Board to supervise the use of unclaimed anatomical specimens for education and research..."more

OK.gov is the official Web site of the state of Oklahoma and a collaborative effort between the Oklahoma Office of State Finance (OSF) and Oklahoma Interactive, LLC to help Oklahoma government entities Web-enable their information services. OSF is responsible for OK.gov. Oklahoma Interactive operates, maintains, and markets OK.gov and is part of eGovernment firm NIC’s (NASDAQ: EGOV) family of companies.